The bench I have is a Hoist FID and I'm not sure if it would conflict with the crossbar or not. I'm not 100% positive, I'm at work and can't look and see, but I believe wheels on the bench stick out a few inches past where the padded part of the bench stops (at the head). If it works for a bench press in the horizontal position, which it might, there's absolutely no way it would work in an incline position. I would have to be outside of the rack to do incline presses, which is being picky, but again why buy something that won't suit all of your needs from the beginning.

athomefitness.com/Hoist-HF-4165-6-Position-F.I.D-Bench-p-16717.html

Check out the picture of the drawing that shows dimensions.. it looks like the wheels stick out. The actual pictures don't appear that way, but it's really close either way.

I see what you mean. I'm not an incline bencher so I guess it may be a problem on some racks. Its a matter of space. The wheels on your bench would hit my wall also if inclined fully on the rear uprights.

I can't afford the space to have a rack 3 feet off of the wall to accommodate the angles or footprint of a long incline bench. I'd have to bench off the front. I still think that if you need that much depth and have the space for it then additional 2-3" for a rear crossbar shouldn't be an issue.

I see what you mean. I'm not an incline bencher so I guess it may be a problem on some racks. Its a matter of space. The wheels on your bench would hit my wall also if inclined fully on the rear uprights.

I can't afford the space to have a rack 3 feet off of the wall to accommodate the angles or footprint of a long incline bench. I'd have to bench off the front. I still think that if you need that much depth and have the space for it then additional 2-3" for a rear crossbar shouldn't be an issue.

I completely agree with you about the crossbar. I think the crossbar adds in stability and is a positive on a rack. I'm using my garage, so space isn't much of an issue.

There are some racks that have the crossbar offset from the rack, which I wish body solid had done. But most don't have the offset (for lack of a better term) which accomodates longer benches and/or incline positions. The TSS rack actually has a crossbar, it's 16" from the rear of the rack. It's the same setup on the floor whether you have the plate storage or not. One of the reasons I tentatively decided on their rack..

Thanks for the Texas Strength Systems suggestion. I looked at their racks, and they do look good, but I prefer the bolted design for compactness when moving, and for future upgrades.

I saw this post on the Edge Fitness Systems Facebook page: "i will be introducing a sumo style stand alone power rack that will have a base price of less than $500.00 This rack will hold over 1000 pounds have west side hole spacing, and will be easy to ship, easy to install and will have training capabilities for the strongest athletes. display unit will be powder coated next week, photo to follow."

That seems like the best deal! So as of now I'm still leaning towards Edge, unless there's something better that nobody has mentioned yet.

It does seem like good advice for a beginner to get a cheap rack off of Craigslist, but I didn't see a good deal when I looked. I'm also a beginner to racks, but not to weightlifting (I lifted religiously in high school). So I feel like I want to try to "get it right the first time" and not waste money.

It does seem like good advice for a beginner to get a cheap rack off of Craigslist, but I didn't see a good deal when I looked. I'm also a beginner to racks, but not to weightlifting (I lifted religiously in high school). So I feel like I want to try to "get it right the first time" and not waste money.

Patience, checking regularly, and having the cash ready, and jumping quickly on the deal, is the key to getting a bargaind on ebay/craigs... etc.

I completely agree with you about the crossbar. I think the crossbar adds in stability and is a positive on a rack. I'm using my garage, so space isn't much of an issue.

There are some racks that have the crossbar offset from the rack, which I wish body solid had done. But most don't have the offset (for lack of a better term) which accomodates longer benches and/or incline positions. The TSS rack actually has a crossbar, it's 16" from the rear of the rack. It's the same setup on the floor whether you have the plate storage or not. One of the reasons I tentatively decided on their rack..

Jayalee, I have also been looking at the TSS racks for a while and just thought I could give a headsup on something that has changed over the last 2 months. The specs are now 2.25" x 2.25" 12 gauge square tubing. I think until Aug they were 2.5" x 2.5" 11 gauge square tubing. I am not sure if this makes a difference in terms of capacity since it is still rated @ 1000lbs. But thought i will throw it out there since all the online sources indicate the previous spec and any potential buyer should be aware of this change before placing the order.... Having said that, I still feel it is a great rack/value for the price and still considering it.

I think once learning it was made of pre-fabbed sign post material I was swayed away a bit. Badass looking rack and maybe a badass rack. It may be in the same ball park as rogue or even better. Justified or not, the sign post thing put me off it

GarageIron, just curious about the pre-fabbed material info. is that something mentioned on their website/online? if u can help with a link to read up some info, it would be great. Also, how does it affect the construction?

GarageIron, just curious about the pre-fabbed material info. is that something mentioned on their website/online? if u can help with a link to read up some info, it would be great. Also, how does it affect the construction?

I'm not sure of the link but I found it in a discussion on this board not long ago. If you search "Unistrut", you may be able to find it. Not sure how it affects anything.

Can't vouge for the rack, but I can for the guy that made it. I haven't gotten anything yet from him I didn't like and he's working on something for me now. He does good work and has been around long enough to know what he's doing.

This particular rack is not listed on the site. Rick texts the picture if you enquire about it. I think the 2x3 version of it costs around 750 and is listed on the site. Garageiron has posted the link to the site in the previous page

I'm pretty close to buying something from Edge. I spoke to Rick on the phone yesterday and he was cool. We have a lot to go over regarding my needs, but Edge seems like the right company to go with for pricing, quality, and it seems the customer service is good too.

The yoke looks cool and may fit in my space better because the ideal room has really low sloping ceilings. If I went with a rack it would probably have to go in my living room, and if I can avoid that it would be preferable, but I want the best thing for the long term. Any downsides to getting the yoke instead of the rack? And I would like to be able to do pullups, but I do have a door frame mounted pullup bar.

Edit: I just spoke with Rick and he recommended a yoke for my space. He's going to send me some photos later of a unit that he thinks will be like what I need.

According to Rick, there's a reason for that similarity (I have a lot of Rogue gears, but I think he's right because he usually posts about his gears long before Rogue has them). I have the Rogue S-1 for outdoor work, but I like Rick's version of the Yoke better. Rick's Yoke looks sturdier (more like an open/sumo rack) while the Rogue version looks more like half rack. Too bad he didn't ship back then, and I got the S-1 stands at a discount.